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Seattle police: No choice but lethal force in fatal shooting

Posted on Monday, June 26, 2017 by Marcia Graham

Friends and family members say the 30-year-old pregnant woman shot and killed by police this week was so much more than authorities' account of an unstable person who confronted two officers with kitchen knives and had previous run-ins with the law.

This footage shows the protesters chanting "Black Lives Matter" as they march down Seattle's Virginia Street.

Family members, who previously expressed concerns about her mental health, question why the officers didn't use nonlethal methods to subdue the petite woman and have suggested race played a role.

He said McNew, a Seattle officer since 2008, asked him to stun Lyles.

She had called police that morning to report a break-in. But she also anxious they would be taken from her because an abusive ex-boyfriend, the father of the youngest children, was causing problems for her.

Anderson said he wasn't carrying a Taser because the battery in his died two weeks earlier, but he told investigators he wouldn't have used it anyway because he was trained to use lethal force when someone is attacking with a knife.

"Her life wasn't flawless, like none of us are", he said.

Two officers, rather than one, responded to take Lyles' burglary report because of her prior history with police.

Suddenly, though, a confrontation erupted.

According to audio recordings released by police, the encounter Sunday was calm and professional for about the first two minutes: Lyles allowed them into her northeast Seattle apartment and told them someone had taken a video game console.

The "Washington Times" and "Seattle Times" reported that Lyles had called police to report a possible burglary. But Anderson said there was no need to frisk her because it was a typical burglary call.

Whitcomb also told GeekWire that he was not directed by Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole or Mayor Ed Murray's office to end outreach with Twitch.

Three children were in the apartment at the time of the shooting, police said.

The mother of four said in the call that she had gone to a store and come home to find someone had broken in.

Seattle police shared photos of the knives found inside Charleena Lyles' apartment following the shooting.